It can be desirable in many situations to increase the security on a door by, for example, installing a stronger lock or additional locks or bolts at additional locking points around the door. However, it is not always possible or convenient to make these types of permanent installations on a door, for example in a rented home or office, a hotel or hostel room, or in student accommodation. In situations such as these it is desirable to increase the security of a door using non-permanent means. One well known method is to jam a chair under the door handle but unless the chair is of the right size and construction this will not hold the door for long. One solution which has been proposed extends this approach of jamming a door closed by locating a bar at an angle between the door handle and the floor behind the door. While this is an improvement over the use of a chair, the connection between the bar and the door handle is prone to failure and the bar can extend significantly beyond the door, presenting a trip hazard.
An aspect of the invention provides a door brace comprising a door engagement member, an angled leg, an engagement foot and a hinge stop. The door engagement member comprises a bottom flange and an engagement wall. The bottom flange is adapted to be located under a bottom edge of a door and comprises one face comprising a textured surface adapted to engage with the door. The engagement wall as one face adapted to be located against part of one side of the door. The angled leg comprises a first section hingedly connected at one end to an opposite face of the engagement wall and a second section extending from the first section at a first angle. The leg is movable between a stowed position and an extended position in which the first section makes a second angle, larger than the first angle, to the engagement wall. The engagement foot is pivotably mounted on a mounting element provided at the other end of the leg. The length of the mounting element is adjustable to move the engagement foot between a released position and an engagement position. The hinge stop is configured to prevent the leg moving beyond a maximum extended position in which the second angle has a maximum value. In a said extended position, the second section of the leg extends at a third angle to the engagement wall equal to the difference between the second and first angles and the engagement foot in the engagement position causes a clamping force to be applied to the door.
The door brace may be configured with the leg in an extended position to apply a clamping force between the bottom of the door and an area of floor adjacent to the door. With the leg in an extended position, the door brace connects the door to the floor through the leg and the foot, so pushing force applied to the door, acting towards the door brace, forces the foot downwardly, increasing the frictional engagement between the foot and the floor, and forces the door upwardly. With the leg in an extended position and the length of the mounting element selected such that the foot is in an engagement position, the clamping force which is created pre-loads the foot, which may prevent any initial movement of the door and reduce the chances of the foot slipping on the floor.
The angled shape of the leg may enable the door brace to be quickly removed by pulling sharply on the leg. Pulling on the leg reduces friction between the foot pad and the floor, allowing it to be removed.
The textured surface of the bottom flange may enable the door brace to grip the door, which may prevent the door brace slipping out from under the door, for example if the door is rattled back and forward.
The maximum extended angle of the leg is set by the hinge stop. Unlike the prior art, the user is not required to select the angle of the leg should have but can merely to move the leg out to the maximum extended position, which has a preselected angle. This may ensure that the second section of the leg is arranged at an optimal angle in use, to provide optimal bracing to the door. The construction of the door brace for location against part of a lower edge of a door may enable the door brace to have a compact size, smaller than the prior art devices which engage with a door handle. This may increase the portability of the door brace and may make it more convenient for a user to carry the door brace with them to, for example, secure the door of a room in a hostel, hotel or student accommodation.
In an embodiment, the third angle is up to 15 degrees. In an embodiment, the third angle is up to 10 degrees. This may ensure that the clamping force is directed at approximately 10 degrees to the engagement wall, and thus to the side of the door. This may provide optimal engagement of the engagement foot with the floor without transmitting an excessive force on the leg, which may cause mechanical failure of the leg.
In an embodiment, the first angle is approximately 40 degrees and the second angle is approximately 50 degrees. The third angle is approximately equal to the difference between the first and second angles.
In an embodiment, the textured surface comprises a textured element which is attached to the face of the bottom flange by an adhesive.
In an embodiment, the adhesive is a medium strength adhesive having a shear strength which may be overcome by a manually applied pulling force exerted on the door brace when the angled leg is in a said extended position. The shear strength of the adhesive is such that pulling sharply on the door brace will cause the textured element to slip a small distance on the bottom flange, which may allow the door brace to be removed more easily in the event of an emergency.
In an embodiment, the engagement wail and the bottom flange of the door engagement member define a generally L-shaped recess for receiving part of a door at a bottom edge of the door. The door brace may therefore be closely located against the door, for optimal engagement between the door brace and the door.
In an embodiment, the engagement foot has a sole on which a non-slip material pad is provided. The non-slip material may be one of rubber pad and neoprene elastomer. The non-slip pad may improve the engagement between the foot and the floor.
In an embodiment, the non-slip pad further comprises one of a textured surface and gripping teeth of the non-slip material. This may improve the friction between the engagement foot and a floor surface which is not smooth.
In an embodiment, the door brace further comprises gripping element comprising gripping teeth, the gripping element being removably mountable on the engagement foot. The gripping element may be used to improve engagement between the foot and a soft surface, such as carpet, when the leg is in an extended position.
In an embodiment, the engagement foot is mounted on a ball joint on the mounting element. The angle of engagement between the engagement foot and the floor may optimised by pivoting ball joint the foot. This may enable the foot to sit flat on the floor when the leg in an extended position, even when the floor is uneven, for optimal frictional engagement between the foot and the floor.
In an embodiment, the mounting element comprises a threaded bolt mounted in a correspondingly threaded socket in the leg and a correspondingly threaded nut. A strong mechanical coupling may therefore be provided between the mounting element and the leg, which will resist downwards force applied through the leg, and provide strong clamping between the door jammer, the floor and the door.
In an embodiment, the door brace further comprises an adjustable clamp between the leg and the engagement wall. This may provide additional strength to the leg in the bracing position.